Inertial sensor systems used in guidance applications are exposed to environments such as vibration, shock, and static acceleration. These systems require some form of protection to both function properly and minimize the risk of damage in these environments. Typically an isolation system is used to reduce the energy the sensors get exposed to during these events, but such isolation systems come with their own disadvantages. In extreme environments the isolation system can be displaced beyond its capability (i.e., sway space) and bottom out, which can greatly amplify the input. Under these conditions, these amplified events can cause sensor performance degradation as well as component damage which result in a system failure. Isolation systems also allow the inertial sensors to move independently from the device in which the sensors are being used for guidance, such as aircraft, missiles, projectiles, trains, boats, cars, and the like. This can cause system errors and reduce the type of application for which the isolated systems can be used.
Another obstacle with typical isolation systems is getting the heat from an isolated portion of the device to an un-isolated portion of the device. The typical temperature delta across an isolation system is about 15° C., and in some cases can exceed 25° C. With this additional temperature on the isolated portion of the device, higher rated parts, reduced mean time between failures (MTBF) rating, and/or reduced temperature ranges are required to meet system requirements.